When Donna Met Harvey
by Carebearmaxi
Summary: Based on the movie: When Harry Met Sally. I always liked Harry and Sally giving their story to an unknown person at the end. So here is my take on how Harvey and Donna would react if given the same opportunity. Set a year after event of 7x10 and Donna and Harvey have been married six months. Just playing around with these characters because I love them.


When Donna Met Harvey

The happy newlywed couple sat down on an old 18th Century Chippendale couch. They were laughing because someone was asking them their story….their love story.

The interview was for Ladies' Home Journal Magazine. The journalist, a female, received a lead from the journalist who had previously reported on Mike Ross of Pearson Specter Litt and his rebirth from fraud to legitimate lawyer. However, the newest development; namely, the miracle of their firm, Pearson Specter Litt, crumbling to the ground and climbing back on top in little over a year was nothing but miraculous. This meteoric comeback was due to nothing less than a personal miracle for the two of the three partners. Correction: the firm has now been renamed Specter Litt after Jessica Pearson has been disbarred and has decided to pursue a life in Chicago.

The attractive and successful Harvey Specter, current managing partner, and his wife of six months, Donna Paulsen Specter who also happens to be the Chief Operating Officer have apparently found a formula between themselves and name partner, Louis Litt, to attract new corporate clients and with junior partner, Mike Ross, found a benevolent name in the community handling and backing pro bono cases as well.

However, this time we are speaking to the married executives of this firm for their love story not how they exactly conquered legal foes.

LHJ: How did you two meet?

HARVEY: In a bar.

DONNA: Harvey!

HARVEY: Well, we did. _(Harvey smiles widely and chuckles focusing on his wife)_

DONNA: Ok. But I approached you.

HARVEY: Yes you did and you asked me why I took that case to rial.

DONNA: The one that put your name in the paper.

LHJ: So what attracted you to him?

DONNA: _(Smirks and smiles in disbelief. The interviewer is a female.)_ Look at him.

 _(Donna rolls her eyes affectionately)_

HARVEY: Well?

DONNA: I wanted to move to his desk because I still was wanting to go to auditions part time. I knew

Harvey was going back to Gold, Van Dyke and Schmidt which was the firm's name back then

so I thought we would be a good professional match.

HARVEY: Sure you did.

LHJ: So, Harvey, I gather you were attracted to Donna as well.

HARVEY: Yes, of course. Here's this beautiful redhead. She was intelligent not the norm you find in

bars hitting on you after your name is in the paper.

LHP: What do you mean?

HARVEY: _(Smirks)_ Well, in my experience, aggressive women in bars are only after one thing. At that time I knew it wasn't my money.

DONNA: You weren't exactly living a pristine life back then either.

HARVEY: Yes, but I was young and I was enjoying my life.

DONNA: I think you were looking for something but you didn't know it yet

 _Donna slips her hand through Harvey's arm and clasps his hand with hers. One can tell they are very much in love._

HARVEY: I was intrigued by her approach. _Turning to Donna says:_ Do you remember what you

told me?

DONNA: Yes, I do. _(She looks back at the interviewer.)_ I told him that it was only courteous to finish

the drink his fellow ADA's had bought him. He had come over to the bar on the other side

and asked for a Macallan 18. His favorite scotch.

HARVEY: After that I only remember going into the corner and you rebuffing me and telling me you

didn't want to have sex with me.

DONNA: I just wanted you to know there was more to me than just wanting to sleep with you.

HARVEY: I was hurt, you know _(Harvey smirks)_

DONNA: Bullshit! You were no such thing, Harvey.

HARVEY: I guess I wasn't. I still wanted you, though.

DONNA: Shh! We'll get to that later.

LHJ: This is very intriguing. However, let's jump a few years after that. You started at the

firm which was called Pearson Hardman, right? When was that?

 _Donna and Harvey look at one another trying to get the right calculation._

HARVEY: 2009. We had just decided to mutually quit the D.A's office. I wanted her from the beginning

especially after she moved to my desk. We constantly flirted, but she was great as a

secretary and a friend. Never wasted a minute not to call me out on my stuff.

DONNA: Well, I was very attracted to him, too, but I instituted a rule. "I didn't get involved with men

I work with". He had a reputation with women. I knew he was just immature and sowing his wild oats. However, I have always known what a good man he is in his heart. That was the main attraction.

LHJ: How could you know on the surface that Harvey was a good man?

HARVEY: She does this Donna-thing and she lays you bear.

DONNA: You make me sound like a witch or something. Let's just say it's a strong empathic or

intuitive talent.

HARVEY: So I had quit the D.A's office and I went to her apartment. I figured since we no longer

worked together we could hook up. No strings attached.

DONNA: For one of your proverbial "one night" stands.

HARVEY: I had not realized I had fallen in love with you _(said almost imperceptibly)_

 _Donna lowers her head and smiles giving her husband a sidelong glance_.

DONNA: Me, too. So we met a couple of days later and he asked me to go work for him.

HARVEY: That's when I came up with the can opener ritual.

DONNA: That's because I told you to forget about that other ritual attached to that other time.

LHJ: Ritual? What is that?

HARVEY: It was something we did before I went to court. I had a great record of wins when we did

the ritual.

LHJ: Do you still do it?

DONNA: No, but I still have the can opener. I'm thinking of getting it dipped in gold like babyshoes

and frame it in our house like a museum piece.

EVERYONE: _Laughs_

LHJ: So you went to work at the firm which was then Pearson Hardman. How long did

you work before you realized you wanted to be together? Did being friends help,

heighten, or hurt your wanting to be together?

HARVEY: It depends. I spent many years running or covering up my feelings for not only Donna

but for people in general. I guess I'm talking about compassion.

DONNA: We always called it his "emotional unavailability". However, this is partially what makes

him such a great corporate lawyer. He can turn off his humanity and treat someone like

he or she has no feelings. I oughta know. I've been a victim of this behavior.

LHJ: ( _Journalist screws up her face thinking to herself that surely Donna was not serious_ )

How's that?

DONNA: When I went to work for Louis Litt of Specter Litt.

LHJ: Still puzzled? Why would he do that to you?

DONNA: Well, a couple of years ago, he told me he loved me…

HARVEY: I meant it. Truly.

DONNA: I wanted to take our relationship to the next level to see how he loved me, but he declined

my offer which made me feel cheap, unwanted and like I was wasting my time, so I

decided that I had had enough of his mixed messages and I had decided to work for Louis the other name partner. He had just lost his secretary, Norma.

LHJ: So how did you come to this point? Happily married?

HARVEY: I started having panic attacks. I went to a therapist…

DONNA: Yeah…of course…she was a female. He wouldn't see an old German guy like Dr.

Lipschitz.

LHJ: Sounds like a story there.

HARVEY: Yes, we'll come to that. Paula's there right before the end.

DONNA: _(Turning to her husband and patting his hand with love in her eyes as she spoke_ ) Then Mike Ross got arrested for practicing law without a license.

HARVEY: Which was true….( _says quietly looking back at Donna while squeezing her hand_ )

LHJ: That was the scandal that rocked your firm and broke it apart.

DONNA: Yes, it was.

HARVEY: So we're all working to help Mike, and I come home to find Donna sipping a scotch,

sitting on my couch. She starts to jab at me about the cactus she had given me a few

months prior.

DONNA: Bob. He actually named it Bob. I was so glad to see it thriving when I let myself into his

apartment. I'd always had a key because I was his secretary and sometimes I had to drop off things like briefs, contracts…

HARVEY: My dry cleaning.

DONNA: Yes, you're dry cleaning. ( _Donna smiles and looks away. Their hands are still clasped_ )

LHJ: Bob still living?

HARVEY &

DONNA: Yes! ( _resoundingly proud almost like he's their child)_

HARVEY: Sorry, I came home and there she was sitting on my couch and sipping my scotch. She

Then tells me she's coming back to me to be my secretary. I was so happy. I missed

her.

DONNA: So that's when Gretchen and I switched places. I think she likes working for Louis. I

know he adores her.

LHJ: What happened to the therapy sessions?

HARVEY: I stopped going. I didn't need them anymore. Donna was back and I had to focus on

saving Mike and the firm.

DONNA: And Jessica, remember that, too?

HARVEY: That was before Mike got arrested, right?

DONNA: Yes, sorry. We had so much unrest these last few years, it's unconscionable.

HARVEY: Before Mike got arrested, Donna and I had slowly quieted our differences and become

friends again. So I had achieved some balance back and I found I didn't need therapy anymore.

DONNA: Don't forget Esther.

HARVEY: Why are you bringing her up? What about this Mitchell that I never met? You dated

for what? Six months?

DONNA: Yes. I broke up with him because he wanted to move in with me. I just could not picture

being with him. ( _Turning around and putting a hand on Harvey's cheek_ ). He's not you.

HARVEY: (just smiles)

LHJ: So you just remained friends and dated other people?

HARVEY: You forgot, Steven.

DONNA: Why are you bringing him up?

HARVEY: Well, you coerced me into telling you that it bothered me that you were sleeping with

him. I was jealous. As a matter of fact, Mrs. Specter, I was jealous of every other

man who took your attention from me.

DONNA: You don't think I didn't know that. You didn't even like Mark taking my attention and

we almost got engaged. If you were jealous you sure had a funny way of showing it. I had to drag things out of you. Still you didn't say wanted me.

LHJ: What finally triggered everything?

HARVEY: A few years ago when Donna was trying to advance our platonic relationship, the

trigger was a court case wherein she got herself in trouble when she thought she was

helping.

DONNA: Let's just say that was not my most shining moment.

HARVEY: I had worked very hard so you didn't end up in prison.

DONNA: Yes you did. I'm very grateful. ( _Turning to the interviewer Donna starts to speak_

 _about her beginning to want more from her life_ )

At first when I solved the case doing what I did, I felt powerful and helpful and like I

mattered. Then it all went to hell in a handbasket. That's when I first felt that I

needed more. Earlier that year I had returned to acting and played Portia in

Merchant from Venice. It was a real small theater group.

HARVEY: She almost convinced me to take up Shakespeare ( _smirks_ )

DONNA: ( _gives hubby a sidelong sarcastic smile_ ) Yeah, right!

HARVEY: Seriously you were fantastic

DONNA: ( _Smiles and Harvey leans over and kisses her_ )

LHJ: Wait! Back up…who are Esther and Mitchell

HARVEY: Louis' sister… one of my one night stands. Louis begged me to handle her

divorce. We had a brief hookup.

DONNA: Mitchell is a former boyfriend who wanted me to marry him and move in with him.

LHJ: Good thing they didn't stick.

HARVEY: Can't imagine what I would do with another guy's kids on top of being Louis'

brother-in law. ( _Harvey rolls his eyes and smirks_ )

LHJ: Once those feeling surfaced, how hard was it to put them aside?

DONNA: Well, we became absorbed in helping Mike and trying to get the firm back on its

feet.

HARVEY: Then, Jessica left.

LHJ: She was the managing partner, so I am assuming this was huge. How

did that effect you two and your relationship?

DONNA: It put us back on an 'ALL HANDS ON DECK' situation because we had just

suffered a blow and then Jessica decides she wanted to explore other avenues in her career. I think she had had it being a corporate lawyer. She remembered how rewarding it was when you actually helped a person.

HARVEY: Don't forget about 'THE DONNA'

LHJ: What's THE DONNA?

DONNA: ( _takes a little square black box with a blue light out of her purse and it sits in her hand)_

THE DONNA: Good Morning, Donna

LHJ: It talks!

THE DONNA: Yes, I am an Electronic Secretary. You probably figured that out, though.

LHJ: Yes, I did. I gather you were named after Donna. What significance are you in

the relationship between Harvey and Donna Specter?

THE DONNA: Not much except that I spurred Donna onto her current position.

DONNA: Thanks, Donna. I'll take it from here.

LHJ: That is very interesting little gadget. I gather you tried to market this?

HARVEY: Yes, and it would have been wonderful except that the technology behind it

just matched another firms who had the patent and if we had gone to

market they would have had us dead to rights for patent infringement.

DONNA: So my dreams of being a business entrepreneur fizzled. However, it gave me

the buy-in money to become a partner in the firm. I thought that would cure

my longing for more. Remember I had been feeling this way for a couple of

years now.

LHJ: Not being a lawyer and asking to be a partner in a law firm is pretty

courageous.

LHJ: So what was your reaction, Harvey?

HARVEY: I did not want to deal with it. However, Donna doesn't give up that easy when

she wants something, so I said OK. However, I really got to thinking that

it wasn't right. So I suggested Director of Personnel.

DONNA: Which I refused and then I suggested COO to which Harvey said

OK.

HARVEY: She tricked me as usual in her Donna way. My wife is not a lawyer; however

she could be. She asked to be CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER and as

MANAGING PARTNER I thought she deserved the promotion.

LHJ: This must have changed your relationship. Harvey, you did not have your

secretary any longer, and Donna you were running the entire firm! How

did this situation advance you to where you are now.

DONNA: Here's where Dr. Agard comes back in

HARVEY: Donna… ( _said in an impatient tone_ ). She's right, though.

DONNA: I think the biggest change was that we didn't see each other everyday. I was

not involved with all his cases. We didn't need to spend long nights at the office

working together or having long emotional discussions. His attitude had changed because now I was no longer his subordinate. I think he thought he could not depend on me as his friend.

HARVEY: Well, that's sort of true. I guess that's why when I wanted to celebrate things

falling into place including reconciling with my biological family, I mistakenly

thought of Paula.

 _(At this point, Donna has turned away from Harvey to, perhaps, hide a tear_

 _escaping. It is obvious she is still feeling pain from his defection at that time.)_

LHJ: Donna, you turned away from Harvey at that moment. I gather this is still hard for you.

DONNA: Yes, it is. Harvey had changed and moved away from me because he had become involved with Paula and, stupid me, didn't see it coming. I was happy for him because that's what you were supposed to feel when someone you love seems happy and content. That's when I realized that the "more" I wanted was just not professional.

LHJ: Harvey were you happy and content at this time with Paula?

HARVEY: It's complicated. Yes, I was content in my relationship, but I had the worst time

trying to tell Donna. I finally told her when Paula called me out on it.

I was not in love with Paula, but we did have a good relationship. She was easy to talk with and she didn't mind me bringing up work….

DONNA: Of course not because she thought she scored over me. Did you know that I had

met her previously and then I had a ran into her in your office on your two month

anniversary?

HARVEY: ( _Turning to his wife frowning_ ) No, I didn't know.

DONNA: Well, I met her first when I was looking for you the night Jessica was almost

voted out as managing partner. I thanked her because you had forgiven me for

working for Louis and I think she could tell that I was in love with you then.

HARVEY: So that's how you find out about her when I was going to therapy.

DONNA: No, not exactly. I don't know want to say how I find out about your therapy sessions. It was so long ago when Jack Soloff was trying to take away your

money.

HARVEY: Oh.

( _Harvey smirks and smiling turns Donna back to face him. He whispers something in her ear and Donna smiles and gives him a kiss.)_

LHJ: Do you mind if I ask?

HARVEY: I just told her that Paula knew I was really in love with Donna and that I had

repressed my feelings all these years.

LHJ: Was that the trigger that brought you to being happily married?

DONNA: No.

HARVEY: and yes.

DONNA: Let me explain: Do you remember the Elsworth Investment case about a year

ago?

LHJ: "Yes, I remember it was thrown out of court."

HARVEY: ( _Smirks and shakes his head_ )

DONNA: Well, things got very personal for me and I was made to feel cheap and disgusting because it was intimated that I did not deserve my present position.

HARVEY: The implications were nothing that we had not heard anything before.

Now when I think about it we must have endured that type of gossip for years.

DONNA: Welcome to the conversation, my love. Yes, we did. It seemed everyone knew

what took us years to get the courage to acknowledge.

LHJ: So what happened?

DONNA: Late in the evening, he was coming to tell me news of Jessica's disbarment

and I wanted, no needed to know before he walked out of my life if my

feelings of unrequited love were justified. I had waited for him for so long and

given him so many opportunities to claim me that I needed to do one thing

for myself despite what position I was placing him.

HARVEY: It had to be the most selfish act I think she ever performed.

LHJ: So what did you do, Donna? Because obviously it worked!

.

DONNA: Before he could get the words of Jessica out of his mouth, I put my arms around

him and kissed him with all my heart and soul.

HARVEY: Then she apologized to me said "I just had to know" and walked away

INTERVIEWER: What was your first reaction, Harvey?

HARVEY: I was so dumbfounded and then I was angry because I was in a commited

relationship and, as Donna knows, infidelity is large sticking point with me.

DONNA: Harvey, when as ever anything relating to our relationship, not been confusing

or easily dumbfounded us? It was always complicated.

HARVEY: Until you kissed me. ( _Harvey smiles widely and takes his wife's hand again_.)

LHJ: So I figure you broke up with Paula and immediately married Donna?

HARVEY: Well, I wandered around in confusion and didn't see Paula for two weeks

and put my relationship with Donna back on platonic level while I figured

things out.

DONNA: I apologized again and then I avoided him at all costs.

LHJ: So how long did this last?

HARVEY: A few weeks, I decided that I would talk things out with Donna because I was given space I had to know a few things for myself. I went to see Paula to tell her what happened.

LHJ: I gather that didn't go so well.

HARVEY: I felt like such a heel. After Paula gave me her blessing and knew that I had

always loved Donna and that it was good I finally realized it. She practically

threw me out of her house and told me to go to Donna.

LHJ: Did you?

HARVEY: Yes, I did. I surprised myself.

DONNA: So, I hear this knock on my door. It's now midnight. I look through the peep

hole and there's Harvey with this almost frightened look in his eyes. I open

the door and he takes me in his arms and kisses me thoroughly.

HARVEY: In a few weeks after that we tell our friends who manufactured us finally

getting together and we get married. We flew to Las Vegas and eloped.

DONNA: I have been promised a big wedding later on. Of course that might have to

wait a little longer than we thought.

HARVEY: Is your father giving you trouble?

DONNA: No not my father.

HARVEY: Well, my dad's gone...

LHJ: Oh, I think I'm getting an exclusive scoop.

DONNA: Excuse me. ( _She leans over to Harvey and whispers in his ear)_

HARVEY: Are you sure?

DONNA: Yes!

LHJ: So?

HARVEY: ( _Still smiling in disbelief_ ) Donna just told me we're having a baby.

LHJ: Congratulations!

HARVEY & DONNA: Thank you. Looks like Bob is going to have company.

That ends our interview. Harvey puts his arm around Donna and she places his hand on her belly. They kiss.

What is so unique about their story was that they were so in love and everyone else could see it except for them. The few times that their feelings surfaced scared the hell out of both of them. Donna never wanting to force Harvey into a situation he was too immature to handle and Donna finally realizing that Harvey was ready wanted to make sure it was him with whom she wanted "more".

Finally, Harvey and Donna got a happy ending satisfying to both.


End file.
